Communication on a sustainable bioeconomy for Europe: Strengthening the connection between economy, society and the environment

Summary:

This update to the 2012 Bioeconomy Strategy will maximise the contribution of the bioeconomy to major European policy priorities.

Further information:

We live in a world of limited resources. Global challenges like climate change, land and ecosystem degradation, coupled with a growing population force us to seek new ways of producing and consuming that respect the ecological boundaries of our planet.

At the same time, the need to achieve sustainability constitutes a strong incentive to modernise our industries and to reinforce Europe’s position in a highly competitive global economy, thus ensuring the prosperity of its citizens.

To tackle these challenges, we must improve and innovate the way we produce and consume food, products and materials within healthy ecosystems through a sustainable bioeconomy.

The purpose of this update to the 2012 Bioeconomy Strategy is to address these challenges through a set of 14 concrete actions which will be launched in 2019 at the latest.

Background:

The bioeconomy covers all sectors and systems that rely on biological resources (animals, plants, micro-organisms and derived biomass, including organic waste), their functions and principles.

It includes and interlinks: land and marine ecosystems and the services they provide; all primary production sectors that use and produce biological resources (agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture); and all economic and industrial sectors that use biological resources and processes to produce food, feed, bio-based products, energy and services.

To be successful, the European bioeconomy needs to have sustainability and circularity at its heart. This will drive the renewal of our industries, the modernisation of our primary production systems, the protection of the environment and will enhance biodiversity.

EUR-Lex: SWD(2018)431: Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the communication https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2018:431:FIN

European Commission: DG Research and Innovation: Review of the 2012 European Bioeconomy Strategy https://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/pdf/review_of_2012_eu_bes.pdf

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